SCARS OF THE MOON

Hypnoze

One week was enough for me to breathe again without feeling pain and to prepare to escape. I had imagined myself in New York, but never with the idea of being under constant surveillance in a house surrounded by towering trees and an imposing wall, a mansion that seemed like a 21st-century dungeon.

Sleep was becoming increasingly hard to reach, and each night was like a hammer, pounding on everything I saw and heard there. The sounds and noises, even the most subtle, were amplified by fear and anxiety, creating an oppressive atmosphere that wouldn’t leave me alone.

The fortune of a family was nothing compared to the secrets they carried. The weight of this was becoming clearer to me, and the feeling of being trapped in a game much bigger than I could have imagined was overwhelming.

He knew about my mother, details even I didn’t know. No one had ever told me anything, and that’s what made it all the more insane. Could my mother really have lied to me? The idea that she had hidden something so important gnawed at me inside, making the situation even more surreal.

I moved slowly, and the silence in the air felt deadly, oppressive. The doors weren’t locked, which meant I could leave the room, but only as far as the garden. It was an invisible prison, without bars, but with psychological barriers that paralyzed me. I wanted to run to the exit, disappear in search of help, but reality kept pulling me back.

I was in a country where I knew no one, not even the language seemed familiar, and the New York accent, which I once found charming, was now distant and irrelevant. The only desire that echoed inside me was to go home, to feel something that would bring me peace.

But tonight, I would try to escape. I wouldn’t give up my body, I wouldn’t be forced into anything.

I observed the side of the gate from a distance and noticed the small gap between the bars. I just needed to reach that spot and slip through. Everything was eerily quiet that night, and I knew it was the right moment. With luck, the full moon would be my guide, lighting my way out of that cursed place.

The dazzling dress on my bed, inside an open box, looked like a macabre gift amidst the nightmare I was living. The contrast between the beauty of the garment and the horror of the situation was suffocating. I wasn’t going to dress for him. Never. No matter what he thought, he couldn’t force me into that. The thought of dressing up like a doll, at his mercy, was unbearable.

I held back the urge to cry, repressing the panic threatening to overwhelm me. I knew the guards changed at eight in the evening, and there was a window of exactly twenty-three minutes for me to pass unnoticed. Observing that routine gave me a chance, but fear paralyzed me. Could I do it? Would my attempt be in vain?

“You can do it,” I whispered to myself, trying to gather courage.

My heart was beating so hard it seemed to echo through the house. Something in the air of that oppressive mansion made me feel small, weak. But today, something told me I had a chance. He hadn’t appeared after the doctor’s visit, hadn’t even shown any signs of life, and the week was almost over. Now, without the excruciating pain, I had the strength to run and maybe escape.

I descended the stairs silently, each step a small victory against fear. The kitchen was empty, the door open, and all the objects meticulously in place, as if no one cared at all about the kidnapping happening right in front of them. That environment was like a horror movie, and everyone seemed complicit, indifferent to what was unfolding before their eyes. It only reinforced my certainty that this man had power. A power I wasn’t willing to confront.

I took a deep breath, grabbing a random glass from the kitchen and heading straight to the porch. The night air was fresh, but my skin burned with anxiety. I stood before my only chance, the exit was there. All I needed to do was slip through the gate, run, and it would all be over.

This was my only chance at freedom, and I couldn’t waste it.

For a second, I hesitated. A whisper, barely audible, seemed to echo in my ears, as if someone was warning me not to try. A shiver ran down my spine. Fear made my heart race, and before I could reconsider, the glass slipped from my hands, falling silently onto the grass. It was the push I needed.

I ran. I ran as if my life depended on it—and it did. Each step was an explosion of adrenaline, each heartbeat thundered in my ears like a drum. The distant light seemed like my salvation, a beacon of hope in the darkness that surrounded me.

But then, in a split second, everything collapsed.

He appeared.

Like a hungry shadow, the man suddenly emerged, moving with the speed and precision of a predator in pursuit. My body crashed violently against his, and the impact nearly sent me to the ground. His face was pure fury, eyes gleaming with restrained rage. But I didn’t fall. He held me tightly, his large, strong hands gripping my arms, pulling me with brutal force.

This was the confirmation I dreaded: there was no escape.

"Please, let me go!" I pleaded, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. My voice trembled, a desperate echo in the darkness.

He remained impassive, his fingers tightening around my arms. The fear that had gripped my body turned into resignation. I knew he wouldn’t let me go, that my attempt to flee would be punished, perhaps with my own life.

I was at his mercy.

The heavy silence between us was crushing, and the only thing left was the feeling of helplessness. My tears, once a desperate attempt to elicit compassion, were now the last trace of a cry for help that would never be heard.

His response was a blow to the soul, his words cutting deep like blades. The heat of his grip on my arms was almost unbearable, and at the same time, the despair crushed me from the inside out. He looked at me with a dark intensity, a mixture of power and coldness that made my bones tremble.

"What a foolish thing to try to run!" His voice was full of contempt. "You have to let me go! This is madness and a crime!" I tried to gather the last bit of courage I had, but the words felt empty, as if I were fighting against a force far greater than anything I could face.

He laughed, a bitter, humorless laugh. "Say what you will! But you’ll accept this without any tricks. I can get you pregnant and keep you tied up if that’s what it takes to ensure the baby's well-being. I’m not a monster that harms women!" He moved closer, and his voice lowered, becoming more threatening. "This idea is as bad for you as it is for me. But it will happen. Do you understand?"

His voice rose, almost like a shout. I was paralyzed. The words got stuck in my throat, unable to come out. My body, so small in the face of the immensity of the situation, trembled silently. All that was left were the tears, sliding silently down my face, while I was at his mercy, with no escape.

"I don’t want to get hurt. I want to leave," my voice finally came out, almost as a whisper, a last desperate plea.

He let out an exasperated sigh, his eyes shining with controlled fury. "I can only grant one of those two things, Melina."

My heart stopped for a second. I knew what he was insinuating, and the thought of being trapped in that fate was unbearable.

"You’ll let me go." It was a fragile statement, the last spark of hope still resisting inside me.

"Don’t be foolish," he replied, his voice cutting. "The only thing I can do is make sure it doesn’t hurt as much as it could."

Those words echoed in my mind. I was trapped, surrendered, and I knew there would be no easy escape. My fate seemed sealed in his hands, and the terror of no longer having control over my own body consumed me completely.

His hands reached my face with a firmness that made me freeze. His warm fingers forced my gaze to meet his, and the gleam in his dark eyes seemed to consume me. I tried to pull away, but it was useless; he was stronger, and that look... something in it seemed to want to drag me into an unknown abyss.

"What are you doing?" My voice came out shaky, almost broken, as fear and confusion overwhelmed me.

The darkness around us gained a strange clarity, a faint glow that shouldn’t have been there, and I felt my body weaken under the invisible pressure of that moment. He leaned closer, never breaking eye contact, his tone now soft, almost seductive, but laden with something dark.

"Look into my eyes, Melina. Let me have you like no one ever has. Tonight... now. Come on, look into my eyes, Melina."

Each of his words felt like a spell, an irresistible command, and as he spoke, I felt my strength leave me. My body, once alert, began to give in, losing all resistance. He stopped holding me, just stood there, watching, as if he already knew I wasn’t going anywhere. As if the fate was sealed.

"What have you done to me?" I asked, my voice now softer, panic growing inside, but without visible expression. My thoughts were clouded, and nothing seemed right.

He smiled, a dark and purposeful smile.

"You won’t sleep tonight, darling. Just stay here with me. Look into my eyes."

Before I realized it, I was already holding his hand. I didn’t know how it happened, but his touch seemed to burn my skin, and at the same time, it enveloped my senses. His scent, strong and invasive, took over me, filling every breath, every thought.

I was no longer in control of anything. Not my thoughts. Not my body.